According to Atharva Veda (9.15.14), all creatures including nature in the limitless universe are said to have been generated from a grand eternal Yajna(Yagya) i.e. Hawan or Fire ceremony. In the Atharva Veda, yagya (hawan, agnihotra i.e. Fire Ceremony) is the fundamental process of manifestation of all creatures. Yagya or Hawan is an ancient process of fire ceremony in which the herbal things are sacrificed in the holy fire with the purpose of utilizing the subtle properties of sacrificed matter with the help of the thermal energy and sound energy of mantras. Today’s scientific research has also approved the significant potential of Yagya in the purification of our internal energy and our environment.
If we summarize, Yagya is a process of selfless sacrifice for noble purposes. It means yagya encourages us to give or sacrifice something for an ultimate noble cause. In the Yagya process, we are required to sacrifice our ego, selfishness, and our material attachments and encourage us to adopt rational thinking, compassion, and welfare wishes for all creatures are the fundamental ingredients for the best Yagya which must be performed by all human beings. The philosophy of yagya represents a way of living in a society with perfect harmony. It encourages a living style to promote and protect ultimate life values in the society which is the foundation of ideal human civilization and culture.
How Yagya impacts the Energy system of the External world
There are two basic energy systems in the external world or physical world – Heat and Sound. While we perform yagya, these two energy elements of the physical world are highly impacted. In performing yagya, the heat from Yagya’s fire and the sound of yagya’s mantra are combined to achieve the desired physical, psychological and spiritual results.
The fumigation of specific ingredients used in the Yagya fire is the scientific method of subtilization of matter into energy that unveils its potential and impacts the environment positively. The electromagnetic waves generated due to the fire ceremony are helpful in transmitting the desired sonic signals “embedded” in the yagya’s mantras which are chanted during the process of sacrificing the natural ingredients and materials in the fire.
How Hawan purifies the Environment
Yagya, Hawan, or Fire Ceremony is an ethnobotanical inhalation therapy derived from the ancient medical science of India. There are multiple benefits of yagya including the purification of the atmospheric environment and improving the fertilization of the soil. Modern science also proved the enormous potential of yagya for reducing air and water pollution and increasing agricultural productivity and its therapeutic application in life.
When Yagya or Hawan is performed, the fire touches the air, it gets purified, and becomes lighter in nature. When this light air is mixed up in the environment, it replaces the cold or impure air and this process continues and the air gets purified till the ritual is being performed on the planet.
If we talk about the ingredients in yagya, the main ingredient is mango wood. When mango wood gets burnt, it releases a gas named formic aldehyde which destroys harmful bacterias and purifies the atmosphere. Later, the formic aldehyde gas forms Formalin which is used to preserve the fruits, vegetables and species proved in the medical laboratories.
Another important ingredient used in yagya is jaggery. When jaggery is burnt in the fire, it also releases the formic aldehyde gas. The scientist named Tautlik mentioned that if we stay at yagya place for 30 mins, then the germs responsible for typhoid fever get destroyed.
The cow GHEE is another important ingredient of yagya. As every scripture related to yagya or Hawan process recommends performing the yagya with cow’s Ghee as it works as an antidote to poison. Its fragrance purifies the physical environment. When the cow’s ghee is burnt in the fire, the fragrance goes up with fire and mixes with the atmosphere. The fat particles from the yagya fire are overloaded with dust particles in the atmosphere and come back on the earth in the form of rain which nourishes the vegetation of mother earth. Also, the Russian scientists prove that the smoke generated due to burning the cow’s ghee will reduce the effect of radiation in the atmosphere up to a significant extent.
Apart from it, the other ingredients like sweets, nutritions, aromatic herbs (ela, dalchini), antibiotic herbs (guggal, gyal) and samagri burn in fire, it causes rain and purifies the atmosphere. The fragrance of burning the aromatic herbs in fire removes the foul odor from the atmosphere. The ritual of Yagya i.e. Hawan is giving back to the environment what we have received from the environment to keep it purified and as result, the environment gives us better natural products and healthy life.
There are some amazing facts that are revealed by the modern scientific research proved are :
- Research shows that no bacteria were killed when you burn 1 kg. Mango wood in a closed room but when the same amount of mango wood is burnt with havan samgiries, the bacterial count was reduced by 94%. The air sample collected 24 hours after the fire ceremony showed that bacterias count was lower by 96%. Amazing impact on bacteria reduction.
- The Earth is the cause of food and the cause of the Earth is water and the cause of the water is air and if the air is pure then everything would be pure. The ash from Hawan also has a cleansing effect on the environment. That’s why it is a ritual to flow the ashes in the water after the rituals.
- The carbon dioxide produced in Havan is at a very slow pace and then the produced smoke is rich with the aroma of all ingredients burnt in fire and acts as a stimulant to the brain and the same carbon dioxide used by the plants as well.
- The oxidation of hydrocarbons produces formic acid and acetic acid which are used to preserve food materials and fruits.
- The smoke of Hawan works like an inhalation therapy derived from Ayurveda which is helpful in relaxing the mind and heals the body. It has positive effects spiritually due to the holy mantras chanting during the Hawan.
The Yagya process represents the noble deeds and altruistic mode of life that produces and cultivates the positive effects in all forms of nature. In simple terms, yagya means giving, offering, distributing, and expanding the good deeds in the environment. The ocean evaporates their water to form clouds; the clouds shower distilled water in return. So based on this principle, if we offer good to our environment, it gives good productivity in return and yagya. Hawan or fire ceremony is a way to feed the nature and environment.
We should all perform Yagya at least once a month. Learn more about yoga.